Death Becomes Him
by Mistress 259
Summary: Sequel to YUUJYOU HAKUSHO & PRELUDE TO A QUARTET. Yuusuke feels at odds after returning to the Ningenkai as a reincarnated demon and needs to make a decision about his future.
1. Default Chapter

**Warnings**: Knowledge of _Yu Yu Hakusho_ necessary. My fics are based on the original comics, **not** on the animated series.

**Author's Notes**: Sequel to _Yuugou Hakusho_, _Yuujyou Hakusho_, and _Prelude to a Quartet_. Please read my bio page for details. Takes place shortly after the incident with Sensui and the Makai tunnel.

* * *

**Death Becomes Him** **- Part 1**

The problems caused by his first death almost seemed insignificant compared to those caused by his second death. Actually, they weren't so much problems, as they were a feeling of having completely lost focus.

Yuusuke hadn't cared too much about the life he'd left behind when the car accident had killed him less than a year ago. At that time, he'd felt that everything in his life pretty much sucked. If he hadn't witnessed Keiko's and his mother's grief over his death, and that of the mother of the boy he had saved, he wouldn't have even accepted the challenge to be brought back to life. So he earned the right to return to his body, only to learn that he had been unwittingly recruited as a Reikai detective... But that hadn't been much of a problem. It cut into his life somewhat, but it let him fight challenging demons, and since fighting was practically a hobby, and missing school was a blessing, he had accepted the position without much fuss. And it gave him the opportunity to acquire strength and skills he might not otherwise have gained.

But his second death... with it came tremendous power and an incredible heritage. And those came at a cost. The Reikai now considered him the most dangerous being in the Ningenkai and treated him like a time bomb. They had wanted to trap him in the Makai when he had gone there to battle Sensui. But Koenma gave him a choice. And once again, thoughts of Keiko helped him to make his decision. Demon or not, the one he wanted belonged to the Ningenkai, so that was where he would be as well.

Yet, he'd now had time to regret his decision.

The Ningenkai was of course his home. He was born here, grew up here, met his few friends here... Just because some ancestor had slept with a demon a long, long, long time ago, that didn't erase the fact that he had been human for the first fifteen years of his life. And just because that demon still happened to be alive, that didn't mean his human parents suddenly stopped mattering. Well, his father had skipped out long ago, and Yuusuke had no desire to ever see that abusive man again... and his mother spent too much time drunk... but they were still unmistakably his parents, and unmistakably human.

But the fact remained that he was now a demon, whether he wanted to be or not. And while still weak by S-class standards, he could take on a whole schoolyard of thugs with his hands tied behind his back. Literally. Yuusuke sighed and surveyed the unconscious bodies around him. It had been no challenge at all. A whole group of bloodthirsty bullies, all larger and taller than he was, and most of them armed with sticks. He had beaten them all while constrained by ropes.

The Ningenkai simply was not enough.

So what does one do to get the blood going again? Especially when one's heart is no longer beating...

* * *

"Well, Yuusuke, you came back because there are people here you care about," said Kurama, leaning back on his hands and looking up at the branches swaying above them. It was May, and the branches were full of lush green leaves. Yuusuke smiled to himself as he glanced at the tall young man. Kurama always seemed the most relaxed around plant life.

"I know," responded Yuusuke, "but it's been just over a week, and I'm already wondering if I shouldn't have stayed in the Makai."

"You've had a taste of the Makai, and now it's calling to you," Kurama said quietly, still watching the branches. They were sitting on the low wall beside the steps leading up to the train station. The crowd mostly ignored the two young men chatting quietly.

Yuusuke turned to face him, amazed. "Yeah, that's exactly it, Kurama." He shook his head. "I mean, I'm also dissatisfied with the weak humans around me... but, it's like a pull... I feel drawn to the Makai."

Kurama shifted his gaze to the young man seated next to him, a crooked smile on his lips. "I know exactly how you feel, Yuusuke."

_Of course you do..._ Yuusuke realized with a shock. Kurama had been in the same sort of situation for much longer. For sixteen years, the displaced fox demon had been living among fragile humans, unable to return to the demon realm.

"How have you dealt with this feeling for so long?" Yuusuke asked.

"I didn't have a choice in the beginning, remember? I still had to recover from my physical death and regain my strength in a new body. I had no choice but to be patient."

"Man, I don't know if I could've done that," said Yuusuke, staring at Kurama with a newfound respect. Patience had never been one of his strengths. He acted as soon as a thought occurred to him.

"Maybe not, but you also haven't lived long enough to be able to call a decade a short span of time," Kurama smiled.

"I guess not." Yuusuke looked the young man over. "But you were there with me. That place is full of energy. I could just smell the challenge... How can you sit here so calmly knowing we gave up our only chance to be there?" Kurama was displaying nothing but calmness and tranquility. Even when he was facing death, Yuusuke had never seen him ruffled. It was somewhat irritating.

"First, the most important thing in my life right now is here. I made a promise to myself to stay for as long as Kaasan needs me and loves me." He paused. Then he gave Yuusuke a sly smile. "And, unlike you, in this form, I can still pass through to the Makai. I don't know how long that will last, but for now, it's not a problem."

"Shit, you're right. Totally not fair, man..."

"Also, I've never been one to go looking for a fight," Kurama said seriously, gazing into Yuusuke's eyes.

"What are you talking about? I'm not looking for a fight," Yuusuke denied.

The beautiful young man tilted his head. "Really? Then why do you want to go to the Makai?"

"I..." Yuusuke began, than stopped, uncertain how to continue. What did he want of the Makai? Stimulation. That's what life here was lacking. And having to always beware of how he handled humans was grating on his nerves. He wanted a challenge, and the freedom to be himself without feeling like he was walking on eggshells... And he wanted to have a word with that demon who had interfered with his fight against Sensui... _Damnit..._ He looked at Kurama, annoyed. "Damnit, why are you always right?"

"Because I'm an old geezer who knows better than you," the long haired young man responded with a wink. Yuusuke snorted. Kurama laughed lightly, then stopped, sighing. "But Yuusuke, I want you to think seriously before you go running off to the Makai. There could be serious repercussions."

"That's the problem, though, Kurama," said Yuusuke, exasperated. "I _can't_ go running off to the Makai."

"Oh, you never know," Kurama said. "I don't think the Reikai will sit quietly for much longer while an S-class demon just hangs out in the Ningenkai, becoming more frustrated with each passing day. There's nothing worse than a frustrated, bored, S-class demon, after all."

Frustrated and bored. Yes, he was definitely both. "Kurama, is there something wrong with me? I mean, for wanting to go off and pick fights with demons?"

Kurama looked at the young man for a long moment. Then he shook his head. "No, Yuusuke, there's nothing wrong with you. Fighting is in your blood. Yours is a particularly bellicose demon race. It's natural for you to want to fight."

Yuusuke raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Then how about before I became a demon? I've always liked a good fight."

"Just because they were dormant, it doesn't mean that your demon genes couldn't have had some effect on you while you were still human," suggested Kurama.

_Leave it to Kurama to have an answer for everything!_ Yuusuke smiled, feeling better than he had for days. It was good to be understood, to know that someone thought his feelings were natural.

"Kurama," Yuusuke said, slapping him on the shoulder, "I'm glad I came to talk with you."

Kurama smiled. "Well, I can't say I approve of you cutting school just so you could catch me before I went home, but I'm glad you came, too."

Yuusuke snorted. "Yeah, right, like you're one to get on my case about cutting school..."

"I have always had a good reason," protested Kurama.

Yuusuke laughed. "I guess we'll have to call saving mankind twice a good reason..." Kurama laughed as well.

"Besides, _my_ grades have never suffered," he added mischievously.

Yuusuke rolled his eyes. "Geek," he muttered under his breath. Kurama raised an eyebrow. Then he started laughing again. Yuusuke joined him, feeling quite good just then.

* * *

Yuusuke was seriously beginning to feel like an unwanted guest. First, Koenma sent him to talk with Genkai, after hinting that Enma Daiou was probably making plans to deal with Yuusuke. Then, Genkai told him to go see Kuroko Sanada, former Reikai detective. But as with his talk with Kurama, visiting Genkai had left Yuusuke with a few things to ponder. He thought it was ridiculous of the old lady to offer her life if he ever felt like destroying the world. He could never kill his mentor! Yet, the point she had made was a valid one.

_Every person has something they could destroy on a whim. It could be a toy, a pet, a lover, a family, a country... _Your_ something just happens to be much bigger than every one else's..._

What if he was suddenly struck with the urge to destroy everything around him? It wouldn't be difficult, if the mood struck him. Or what if his demon genes took over again, and he went on some destructive rampage here in the Ningenkai?

What if he unknowingly killed the few humans who actually meant something to him?

What was that quote Kurama had once mentioned...? _Absolute power corrupts absolutely._ Well, Yuusuke had no intention of being a corrupt demon.

And yet, from the human point of view, was there any other type of demon? For here stood Kuroko, a serious and almost frightened look on her face.

"You should go to the Makai. It would be for the best," she said. She didn't take her eyes off of him as she continued. "I don't feel that someone who can just stand here and refer to humans as food can be considered a member of humanity."

Yuusuke listened to her words without anger. It was true. He hadn't thought twice about those demons' dining preferences... "...You're probably right," he responded.

"I wasn't going to tell you," said Kuroko, "but a Reikai messenger came to me earlier with orders to kill you."

Koenma had been right. Enma Daiou was out to get him.

"I refused the order," Kuroko went on, "but I called Genkai Shihan afterwards and asked her about you. She told me that I would understand you once I met you. And she was right. Having met you, I was relieved."

She paused. Yuusuke remained silent.

"But now," continued Kuroko, "I fear you."

Yuusuke stared at the tall woman, uneasiness rising in his stomach. She wasn't talking about the kind of fear he'd caused for years as a juvenile delinquent. This was serious fear bordering on terror. The kind of fear that created lynch mobs and mass hysteria...

"I can't trust you like Genkai Shihan does," said Kuroko. "I fear that if you remain here, my children will have to fight against you some day." She sighed. "I can't help you."

Her statement reminded Yuusuke of the fear he himself had been carrying, that he might unwittingly harm his mother or Keiko some day. He was already sounding like a demon, casually discussing humans as a food source... What next?

"I understand," Yuusuke said. "Thanks anyway." He turned to go, head full of thoughts he needed to sort through.

"Yuusuke-kun, wait," said a man's voice. Yuusuke turned to see Shougo Satoh approaching him from the house.

The mild-mannered man's look was serious. "I refrained from mentioning it earlier because it had come through so clearly," he said, hesitating slightly, "but the reading I did for you showed that you will have a major separation in your life."

Yuusuke's eyes widened.

"A separation from friends, comrades of war, actually," the man continued, "involving bloodshed..."


	2. Part 2

**Warnings**: Knowledge of _Yu Yu Hakusho_ necessary. My fics are based on the original comics, **not** on the animated series.

**Author's Notes**: Sequel to _Yuugou Hakusho_, _Yuujyou Hakusho_, and _Prelude to a Quartet_. Takes place shortly after the incident with Sensui and the Makai tunnel.

* * *

**Death Becomes Him – Part 2**

"There you are. I was beginning to think you weren't coming home today," Yuusuke said as Kurama stepped out of the train station.

"I had something to tend to..." Kurama noted Yuusuke's clothing. "I see you didn't bother to go to school at all today."

"No, in fact, I probably won't be going back, ever."

Kurama stared at the shorter young man, then nodded. "You're going to the Makai." He placed a hand on Yuusuke's shoulder and maneuvered him out onto the sidewalk. "Let's sit and talk."

They walked to a park near the Minamino residence. They sat on a bench by the sandbox.

"Messengers came from the Makai to ask me to join them," began Yuusuke.

"The demon who controlled you during the battle," said Kurama.

"Yeah, his name is Raizen," Kurama turned quickly, staring at Yuusuke. "What?"

"Your demon father is Raizen?" asked the taller young man.

"You know him?"

Kurama shook his head. "Only of him. He's one of the three main powers in the Makai."

"Yeah, they explained all that to me. And Raizen's going to die soon, so they want me to go and help them."

Kurama's eyes widened. "He's dying?" He turned away and watched a cat cross the park. "Interesting..."

"What?" asked Yuusuke.

"Oh, not interesting that he's dying. I'm sorry, he is your father after all..." Kurama looked at Yuusuke once more. "Interesting because I was sent a message by one of the other two demons."

Yuusuke blinked. "What? Who? Why?"

"He wants me to join him," Kurama said, sighing. He paused. "I guess Yomi knows about Raizen's condition. He predicts that he'll be the sole power soon."

"Who's Yomi? Why did he send you a message?"

"He's an old... acquaintance." Kurama said, clearly not wishing to say much more.

"Are you going?" Yuusuke asked after a pause. He could tell that Kurama wasn't pleased with the summons.

The young man stared ahead for a long time. Finally, he said, "I don't know, Yuusuke... I just received the message. I need some time to think about it." He tilted his head slightly, glancing at Yuusuke. "Hiei will be going to the third demon, Mukuro."

"What?" This was getting to be too strange a coincidence... "Old acquaintance of Hiei's too?"

"No. Mukuro simply wants to recruit him. She sees his potential."

Yuusuke looked at Kurama curiously. "How do you know this?"

"I saw his message orb. He saw mine, too. That's what I was doing after school, listening to Yomi's message."

"And Hiei just showed up?"

Kurama nodded. "He's possibly still hovering around here with his youki masked."

Yuusuke glanced around, scanning for Hiei's youki. "Well, wherever you are, Hiei, you'll want to hear this," he said into the air. "The Reikai's going to open a portal for me at Genkai's tomorrow night."

"So soon?" asked Kurama. "What do the ladies have to say about this?"

Yuusuke cringed. "My mom wasn't really concerned. She just wanted to know if the Makai is farther than America." Kurama laughed. "But Keiko..." He trailed off.

"She wasn't pleased."

"Not one bit. Pissed, actually."

"I don't blame her, Yuusuke, since you may not be able to return to the Ningenkai," Kurama said. "Have you really thought everything through? Consider what you have to gain, and what you could end up losing, Yuusuke."

Yuusuke groaned. "I know, I know. But I just can't over-think things. I want to go to the Makai to test myself, to meet Raizen, to be challenged... I can't worry about later since that will come later."

Kurama grinned. "Typical Yuusuke."

Yuusuke grinned, too, helplessly. "Yeah." Then he sighed. "But I can't leave with Keiko pissed at me. I'm going to go see her again tonight."

"Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled. He stared at Kurama, once again noting the young man's beauty. He sighed, contemplating mentioning Shougo Satou's prediction.

"What is it, Yuusuke?"

"It's... it's nothing," he sighed, shaking his head. No sense in worrying about a fortuneteller's vision of the future. He would just have to be "typical Yuusuke," as Kurama put it.

Kurama smiled and put a hand on Yuusuke's shoulder. "Well, Yuusuke, you seem to always have a way of pulling through, right? Whatever happens, there's bound to be some good that comes of it."

* * *

He stood in front of the Yukimura Diner. How many times had he come here in the past, after a particularly angry Keiko had left him nursing a vicious slap on the face? It didn't seem fair how much strength that girl could pack in a slap... He slid open the door and stepped into the diner. A man and woman were working behind the counter.

"Yuu-chan!" the man called. "Goodness, we haven't seen you in awhile."

"Hi, Ojisan, Obasan."

"Keiko! Come down here!" the man yelled over his shoulder.

Yuusuke shook his head. "Oh, it's okay, I just came to have dinner."

The man ignored the statement and continued to yell for Keiko. She appeared in the doorway, looking irritated.

"What, Otousan? I have a lot of studying to do!" She glanced at Yuusuke briefly, then looked away.

"There's no point in going to a high school where you'd have to study so hard that you can't help your parents. Get in here and cook for Yuusuke."

Keiko sighed and put on an apron. She took Yuusuke's order and set to work. Yuusuke watched as she chopped, seasoned, and stir-fried, her father hovering over her and commenting on her work in the meantime. Eventually, she came around the counter and set the food before Yuusuke.

"Enjoy," she said coldly and turned to leave.

Yuusuke grabbed her wrist. "Sit with me." The girl rolled her eyes and sat in the chair opposite Yuusuke.

He ate in silence for awhile before commenting, "This is good."

"Thanks," the girl said without looking at him.

The silence continued. Eventually, Yuusuke stated, "It's my birthday tomorrow."

"I know."

Yuusuke had to fight the urge to smile and show his pleasure that she still remembered his birthday.

"I'll come back in exactly three years," he continued. "Then..."

Keiko finally turned her head to look at him. "Then what?"

"Then let's get married."

They looked into each other's eyes, both of them serious. Then, Keiko let her eyes roll.

"I dump you, and you come crawling to me with a marriage proposal? You're absolutely ridiculous," she sighed.

Her parents burst into laughter, having been eavesdropping from behind the counter. Her father said, "Well, we haven't heard that one in awhile."

"That's right," her mother smiled. "Yuu-chan used to propose to you after every time you two fought when you were children."

Yuusuke was grinning at Keiko now. "Come on, Keiko," he pleaded.

"Goodbye," she said, standing.

"Aww, Keiko, I love you," he whined as she began to walk away.

"Yes, yes, I love you, too," she said without turning around.

Yuusuke watched her back until she stepped through the door and headed back upstairs to her room. He leaned back in the chair, still grinning.

She would wait for him. He was certain of that. Keiko hadn't been able to hide the pleased smile that had briefly touched her lips. And they'd never said the words "I love you" to each other, even as children. The fact that she'd responded in kind after he'd made his declaration, even if they'd both sounded insincere, meant a lot. They'd spent their lives saying "I hate you." They would never kid with each other about this.

He would have to make it back from the Makai, no matter what. He couldn't let Keiko down.

* * *

The Reikai team began preparations to open a portal to the Makai. They gathered in the dark courtyard of Genkai's temple, arms raised towards the air. The air above them began to swirl and shimmer as two dimensions were temporarily forced to merge at that spot. Eventually, a portal formed.

Hiei stepped through the portal without a word. He seemed to disappear into the dark, swirling mass. Yuusuke turned back to look at his friends. Kuwabara's fists were clenched, but he looked resolute. He would wait with the expectation that his friend would indeed return after three years. Kurama stood calmly with his arms crossed. He nodded briefly, a slight smile on his lips. Yuusuke returned the nod and faced the portal once more. He took a deep breath.

He stepped forward into the darkness that would lead him to the homeland of his demon ancestors. The portal closed behind him, sealing the way back to the human realm. For better or for worse, there would be no turning back. He stared up at the blood-red sky, then at the vast, seemingly hostile landscape. Hiei was long gone. Instead, Yuusuke saw the three youkai from Raizen's kingdom. They nodded in acknowledgement.

"It will take a few days to get to Raizen's kingdom from here," the one named Hokushin said.

"Fine. Let's get going, then," Yuusuke shrugged.

One of the youkai grinned slightly, a slightly malicious grin. Then the three youkai began running at a pace that would leave normal humans gaping in shock.

But Yuusuke wasn't a normal human.

The boy blinked. _Hold on, I'm not human at all..._

Yuusuke grinned. So, the youkai wanted to test him? He slung his pack over his shoulder, rolled his neck once, then took off after the three rapidly disappearing figures. He caught up easily, then ran alongside them beneath the crimson sky.

_Old Man, here I come..._

Without a doubt, it would be an interesting three years.


End file.
